News and developments on Freedom of Information in the UK. This blog is run by the Campaign for Freedom of Information. It was established in May 2003 by Steve Wood, who ran it until the end of February 2007 when he took up the post of Assistant Commissioner at the Information Commissioner's Office.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Media update

National newsDaily Telegraph - Nation's most crowded trains"A commuter service from Cambridge to London has been identified by the Department for Transport (DfT) as the most overcrowded in Britain.Statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act showed that demand for the service was 85 per cent greater than the number of seats normally provided."

Daily Mail - Truth revealed about big cat shooting"A report obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveals for the first time in 15 years details about the shooting of the big cat and its subsequent discovery in a freezer. The report confirms claims by Danny Bamping, founder of the British Big Cats Society (BBCS) that a photo of the shot lynx is genuine."

Regional news

IC Surrey Online - Group slams council secrecy on store plan "The information related to discussions that had taken place between the council and the company building the store, Thornfield Properties. Under the Freedom of Information Act the group asked the council if it could see all the correspondence that had taken place between MVDC and Thornfield Properties. But the request was refused because it was believed the information could prejudice the interests of Thornfield Properties."

IC Surrey online- Court challenge to Health Secretary over hospital site "TWO councils are going ahead with a £15,000 legal challenge to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt's interference in the site of a new £300 million critical care hospital.....And this week Epsom and Ewell Conservative MP Chris Grayling said inside knowledge he had gained under the Freedom of Information Act, showed it had been such a bad decision from a health point view, that even her closest expert medical advisers had warned against it."

Bournemouth Echo - 3 YEARS TO FIX IT!"CASTLEPOINT'S building contractors have admitted repairs to the car park are likely to take at least three years, the Daily Echo can reveal.Their prediction was revealed to the Echo after we requested documents related to the car park, under the Freedom of Information Act, following its temporary closure in November due to health and safety reasons."

Belfast Telegraph - Home Office has details of 35,000 Ulster people's DNA"Fears over Big Brother-style government resurfaced today after it emerged that DNA samples from thousands of people in Northern Ireland are held on a central database. Concerns were expressed by political representatives and civil liberties groups following revelations that details of approximately 35,500 people in Northern Ireland are held on a UK-wide DNA database.The figure was disclosed following a Freedom of Information request by the Belfast Telegraph but officials from the Home Office, who administer the database, said they could not provide any breakdown of how many of those people had been convicted of an offence."

Hamilton Advertiser - Information watchdog slams council "SOUTH Lanarkshire Council have been criticised by Scotland’s Freedom of Information Officer.Kevin Dunion investigated a complaint from Eddlewood Tenants’ Association secretary Christine Divers.The association asked the council for information on the criteria used to decide which homes were to be upgraded first under the authority’s Home Happening refurbishment programme."

Overseas FOI

Statewatch - passenger name records"MEPs demand that the report on EU-US PNR (passenger name records) is de-classified: Letter to US from Liberal group MEPs"

East African Standard - Kenya needs a Freedom of Information Act now "This situation always leaves journalists groping in the dark for information. They must resort to their own devices and sources. Yet even with these limitations, they put out credible stories. What Kenya really needs is a Freedom of Information Act that will provide for the release of unclassified information by Government departments and agencies on request. This would complement the citizen’s right to information and also criminalise those hiding it from the public. ""